PI
by HDSweet Saren
Summary: Garrus and Rage Shepard have been married for one year. But trouble is brewing when Garrus suspects that his bond mate is being unfaithful.


**Note**: Just a little something I that had been brewing in the back of my mind. Second chapter to come soon. Still tinkering with my other stories. I wrote this early in the morning, hope you enjoy.

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><p><em>And yet again, she had done it for the second night in a row, the beautiful Rage Shepherd had gotten up and left me in the middle of the night. She thought she was being clever, thought she was being quiet, but I saw her out of the corner of my eye: pretending to be asleep. Dressed in dark clothing, she slipped on some boots, tossing me a careless glance in the darkness before gliding out into the hallway of our five bedroom estate. I could hear her footsteps, counting each one as they pressed further and further down the hall. <em>

_ I could only roll over on my back, fully awake, staring at the blank ceiling as if I were back on the Normandy, looking out a window into the vastness of space. I sighed heavily, a wave of depression washing over my body. Try as I may, I couldn't blink all the tears away. So I try another position— anything, no matter how subtle, to make the pain stop. Ending up on my side, every movement stinging, biting as if I were lying on glass; the tears just flowed. _

_ We'd been married a whole damn year, but this "leaving me in the middle of the night" thing didn't start happening until about four months in. She'd come back early in the morning, beat, sometimes dirty. When I'd ask her where she'd been, she'd give me some gruff response about an abandoned house, or out in a distant field somewhere. The woman couldn't even look me in the eye when I asked. That's how I knew, she was cheating on me_.

"How long are you gonna let this fly, Garrus? Until she's pregnant with another man's baby?"

"Hey." Garrus said firmly, pointing an accusatory claw at his best turian friend Nihlus Kryik.

"Nihlus is right. It's been eight months, that's more than enough time for her to come clean." Ashley Williams added, slipping down into her seat.

Garrus sipped at his volus inspired margarita.

"You're a good guy, Garrus. You deserve better." B'runas Mmkayas, the batarian security guard proclaimed. He was already sitting at the bar, in his usual spot, downing his usual drink: a Black Diamond Ultra, a newly created human rum that was sweeping the galaxy.

Garrus's focus dipped to the table for a moment. "I know." He didn't sound convinced, having a very noticeable scar on his face.

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><p>No woman had ever given him the time of day, that was until Rage Shepard came along. They had worked in the same building for years, but the first time he'd seen her was the annual Christmas party. She had been chatting with her group of friends, periodically darting back and forth from the bar to her gossip circle. Not once did she look in his direction, but Garrus figured that when she was drunk enough, that's when he would make his move. An intoxicated woman was the only kind of woman that Garrus would even dare approach.<p>

Before Rage, Garrus had never been on a date. He'd never even kissed a girl. His life consisted of work, work, and more work—living in a small, one bedroom apartment. His good friend Nihlus had tried to get him to be more social but having such noticeable scars on his face made it difficult for him to come out of his shell.

It wasn't until at the Christmas party, at around 10 pm, Garrus decided to make his move. But to his surprise, Rage was coming his way. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest as she approached, striding up to him with this mean cat-walk that had all the boys looking.

"Hi." She extended her hand, with this inviting smile taking over her face.

Garrus had to remember how his tongue worked before he could respond. "Hi." Taking her hand; her mocha skin was a smooth as butter, green eyes padding down his alien form slowly.

"Rage Shepard." Her eyes continued their venture, glancing him up and down more than once. "I know just about everyone here, but I don't know you." She bit a small piece of her lip, holding the supple flesh between her pearly white teeth while Garrus found his voice.

"Garrus Vakarian." He shook her hand longer than he'd shaken anyone else's hand, longer than what was deemed normal.

Rage noticed, glancing down at her hand, now being held hostage. The smile on her face had grown wider. She was glowing in a since, brighter than before.

When Garrus finally took the hint, he cleared his throat nervously, releasing her hand in the same instant. Embarrassment worked itself along his mandibles, especially the scarred one, and his sub-vocals. He silently thanked the spirits that she couldn't hear that additional frequency.

"Enjoying the Christmas party?"

"What?" Garrus exclaimed in a louder voice.

Rage leaned in closer to his face. "Are you enjoying the Christmas party?"

He got a whiff of her fruity perfume, the scent doing things to the package between his legs.

Clearing his throat again, Garrus answered, "Oh yes. I am."

She giggled, easily seeing through his lie. This Christmas party sucked, like all the rest of them. Only the alcohol made it bearable.

"You must be drunk." Rage added. She giggled even harder.

"I am… a little bit."

Rage's hand found itself on his shoulder for support, as she laughed. "Well I'm not." She finally spoke, looking Garrus in his blue eyes which sat like Earth's moon: seemingly fading slowly within the void of space. "Designated driver."

Garrus was taken aback. Here she was, a beautiful woman who could get any guy she wanted, yet she preferred to talk to the turian with a huge scar on his face. _Maybe it was a dare_. From all the rejections Garrus had gotten over the years, he knew better than to get his hopes up.

"So what department do you work in?" Rage finally removed her hand from his shoulder, and oddly enough, Garrus felt as if a part of him had been removed. She was looking in his eyes, a huge smile still upon her face.

_Now, either she's trying hard not to laugh at my scars, or she lied and really is drunk. Let's pray for the ladder. _"Programming."

"Mmm, sales." Rage admitted with much less enthusiasm. The corners of her full lips dropped when she said it.

"I bet." His words must have hit a nerve, a frown growing on her narrow face. "I mean, you've got the voice for it." She still didn't seem convinced. "I mean… it's sexy." He didn't mean to say that. The words just fell out.

"Really." A smile began to rise as she stared into his eyes.

There was a brief pause that fellow sale executive, Jacob Taylor shattered when he yelled, "I hate Frosty the Snow Man. No I really do. I _really_ do. I just want everyone to know that. He's got a carrot nose for fuck sake. A carrot, people. A _car-rot_!"

Rage and Garrus glanced over at Mr. Taylor who had drunk more than a fish, staggering toward the bar again.

"I gotta go, Garrus Vakarian." Disappointment was evident in her voice, real disappointment. "May I call you some time?"

_Come again_? Garrus nodded his head yes before finding the words to speak it. "Sure." This was a first. Not only did she speak to him on seemingly her own accord, but she wanted to see him again. _What's the catch_?

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><p>"It must be something I did." Garrus sighed.<p>

Nihlus's mandibles fell to disbelief. "Something _you_ did!?"

"I must've upset her somehow…" he continued to stumble over his words when Ashley interjected.

"No! If she's cheating on you, it's not any of your fault. It's her. It's all her!" Ashley's eyebrows sat closer to her eyes, face scrunched into a frown.

Garrus shrugged his shoulders, glancing down at the table.

Ashley placed her palm on his shoulder drawing him away from his thoughts. "Hey," she sang. "It's just like a wound. The longer you let it fester, the worst it will get."

Garrus inhaled deeply before training his eyes on the human. "Okay. I'll confront her… tonight."


End file.
